Luxury Is Not Quality

You may personally have observed that there may be more quality in a car that costs half as much as one with great luxury: quality and luxury are not the same.

Now that they’re making money again, airlines are scurrying to add luxury everywhere. There are new seating choices with inches more leg room and better seating. There are fully reclining seats on long-haul flights in certain classes.

There are better food choices, and better quality wine is being offered. There are mini-suites with privacy doors. There are new amenity kits, even on-board chefs. All luxuries.

None adds to the quality of the product, which is to get one from Point A to Point B as fast as possible when promised. All these luxuries are worthless if the flight is canceled or if you miss a flight connection.

From one who has been flying for 75 years, starting in DC-3s on Chicago and Southern Airlines, I’d a lot rather see the added attention and resources given to improving the basic product: flying when an airline tells you it will.

In recent experience I’ve suffered 2 flight cancelations and 6 missed-connections, all on the same airline. Auto and airline luxuries have value only if the cars run and the airplanes fly when promised.

When they do, that, not three more inches, is quality.

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